Ask us an F1 testing question for our next podcast!
Added 2025-03-01 09:00:13 +0000 UTCWith the first, and only, pre-season Formula 1 test done and dusted, we want your questions to answer on The Race F1 Podcast episode that will be recorded at the start of the week.
Our team has been crunching the numbers, watching trackside and chatting to every paddock source they can chase down to build a thorough picture of what happened and how things stand - but what do you want to know?
Put your one burning question about the test in the comments on this post before the end of Sunday night UK time and we'll answer as many as we can about the Bahrain test and what it means for the season to come.
Comments
I know I missed the deadline, but if you have time could you give your insights on this: I am interested in going to an F1 race this year which one would you recommend most for newish fans? (Global and if you are coming from North America)
Shaina
2025-03-05 00:35:48 +0000 UTCWhich session and time had the best conditions for the performance runs? How significant are cooler conditions in this era (e.g. the traditional late in the day temp drop elping engine performance) when the Williams set their laps? Why didn't Albon struggle to heat the C4 that others had.
James
2025-03-02 11:12:30 +0000 UTCNo doubt Teams have learnt a lot over the 3 days. But there is a saying: "You don't know what you don't know." Does this apply here? E.g., Would Mercedes be confident of their car's performance in hotter temps? Would McLaren have concerns about their car's rear on other circuits?
Michael Holden
2025-03-01 22:24:21 +0000 UTCIs there any chance that Red Bull rocked up to the test with essentially the RB20 with some mechanical tweaks and maybe a different underfloor but are reserving any of their major changes for the first race to try and surprise other teams?
Evan Patipa
2025-03-01 20:31:04 +0000 UTCWith Mark being stuck in the bunker for three days, did The Race send him some food deliveries?
Scuderia Irish
2025-03-01 16:14:34 +0000 UTCAfter seeing the video of Edd and Scott sharing their insights on how trackside judgements are formed, I was wondering: would you guys be able, after a few days trackside, to identify the drivers by simply watching the way they drive?
Davy Coolen
2025-03-01 16:08:39 +0000 UTCSince they only brought one car, do the teams get an extra parts allocation so that way the car usage is balanced between drivers when the season starts?
Chase Roberts
2025-03-01 16:04:38 +0000 UTCBefore this week, had there ever been a F1 test event without a single red flag caused by a car stopping out on track?
James North
2025-03-01 15:07:56 +0000 UTCGiven both that the Ferrari has been set up with less anti dive than its direct competitors (McLaren/Red Bull), and it was a lack of ability to feel the front under braking in the Merc that caused Hamilton’s issues last season; do you believe that these factors are leading to Lewis Hamilton’s apparent extra confidence on track and will this hurt the aero platform?
Keir
2025-03-01 14:54:07 +0000 UTCIgnoring the actual cars for a second, which teams had the happiest and least happy body language overall in the test?
Steve D
2025-03-01 13:54:57 +0000 UTCIs evidence of a leader in class (eg McLaren 98 Brawn 09) always apparent by the end of testing and that fact that there doesn’t seam to be a definitive best team after testing this year a sign of the closeness at the front?
Chris Parrott
2025-03-01 13:53:00 +0000 UTCHow can Red Bull work on their problems between now and Australia, and how much progress can they potentially make?
Michael Moorwood
2025-03-01 13:45:44 +0000 UTCWhy is sauber so slow are they doing a haas and put everything into 2026 Wont it make sense to have a strong mule car for audi
Andy Barber
2025-03-01 13:40:52 +0000 UTCThe steepest learning curve for rookies is normally managing tyre life on long runs. Is there any early indication on how each of the rookies are adapting to this specific challenge relative to eachother and to their teammates
Duncan Bertram
2025-03-01 13:04:45 +0000 UTCI understand the hype around Lewis, but SO MUCH discussion has been devoted to him adapting to the Ferrari and tempering expectations during that adjustment that I think the other drivers switching teams have been a bit neglected. Doesn’t someone like Liam Lawson have a much more difficult task as an inexperienced driver going from the only car he’s known in his brief career to a much pointier one? Or Hulkenberg going to a (let’s not kid ourselves) probably quite difficult to drive Sauber? Which of the drivers switching teams who ISN’T Lewis Hamilton is likely to have the toughest time?
Max Camposano
2025-03-01 12:56:13 +0000 UTCWith such a big changes in cars for 2026 season, can we see teams getting additional testing days?
URBAN MOTO-BIKE
2025-03-01 12:39:37 +0000 UTCTo me, it seems like overall vibes through testing cemented the idea that this season is going to be a serious progression of last year's chaos. With that in mind, my question* is this: given how Aston Martin struggled and Williams have attracted the dark horse reputation during testing: how much more chaotic will the mid to back of the grid be this season - perhaps to the point we potentially see Williams jump Aston Martin in the Constructor's? (Aston finished 5th last year, Williams - 9th) *yes, it's only pre-season testing, but my Williams delusion is in full swing; bless Glenn for answering my question on the Q&A
Stranded_Colourwork
2025-03-01 12:30:16 +0000 UTCThere seems to be consensus that Sauber are at the back once again but does it appear that they have made any significant progress in closing the gap compared to 2024, or has the situation got worse. I'm interested to see if Nico Hulkenberg is regretting signing the contract and if he can deliver regular points scoring to give Audi some hope of starting off well next year.
Kylearan Tyler-Biggs
2025-03-01 12:29:50 +0000 UTCIs flow-vis paint not a massive giveaway to rival teams? Why not use a material that only becomes visible under a UV light?
Andrew Sillett
2025-03-01 12:24:36 +0000 UTCDo you get the impression Alonso's wanting out after this season if the car hasn't moved anywhere since last season in terms of performance compared to the rest of the field? Or do you reckon he'll rally round the team ever more so in the hope of a seat in the 2026 'Newey influenced car'?
Oliver
2025-03-01 12:12:55 +0000 UTCOne of the storylines I’m most looking forward to this year is how the rookies perform. Any insights into their mentalities or suitability to their cars during testing? Any surprises - whether on track or off track?
Andrew Narduzzi
2025-03-01 11:53:26 +0000 UTCWhat engine pool do the testing engines come from? Are they limited in how many engines they can use? This question has been bugging me since 2020
Jasper Pendlebury
2025-03-01 11:43:43 +0000 UTCAfter seeing testing and improvements made there, what team do you think will be the one to improve most over the season? Who is the most likely zero-to-hero in other words!
Nate Bontz
2025-03-01 11:40:47 +0000 UTCMy question too! I‘d be interested to know if there have been any recent comments made by Binotto on where the operation is heading to and how big the impact of the cost-of-living factor adjustment on the cost cap (whatever that‘s called) is. A few teams have made significant changes on senior personel (see Alpine and Aston Martin) that are at least looking promising as they‘re following a clear direction. Aside from Binotto evaluating things and Wheatly coming in later this year I‘m not seeing this with Sauber/Audi.
Daniel Aeschbacher
2025-03-01 11:27:12 +0000 UTCYou've mentioned that Lewis seems to be more comfortable in the Ferrari compared to his last few Mercedes cars, is he now able to utilize some of his strengths like the late braking?
Ben K
2025-03-01 11:22:38 +0000 UTCDo you suspect that any teams were sandbagging during testing? If so, which team(s)?
Noel George
2025-03-01 11:06:06 +0000 UTCWho was sandbagging the most? I noticed that both Mclaren drivers managed blistering 2nd sector times, faster than all thec rest, but "failed" in the final sector. All the day two and thre top times seemed to be on high engine mode/low fuel
Roger Harvey
2025-03-01 10:57:49 +0000 UTCMy question too! AND, if they are clearly the 10th fastest car at the start of the year, will they even go through the trouble of upgrading the car or just turn their focus entirely to 2026?
Andrew Narduzzi
2025-03-01 10:50:10 +0000 UTCWhat are the advantages and disadvantages of teams running drivers for half a day vs a full day? If you were a team boss which would you choose?
Ed R Gaming
2025-03-01 10:49:08 +0000 UTCDid you manage to speak with the Racing Bulls engineering staff regarding any specific car limitations, and their development/upgrade priorities and schedule?
Rupert
2025-03-01 10:43:15 +0000 UTCWho are the actual back-markers this year? Just Sauber, or is Aston Martin in danger of joining them?
Nicholas Langdon
2025-03-01 10:42:24 +0000 UTCDo you think Red Bulls car geometry is so similar to last years because they’re banking on the flexi wing rules to knock their competitors down a peg or two mid season?
chris dawson
2025-03-01 10:28:13 +0000 UTCWhat’s your verdict on all the rookies (ones that haven’t done a full season yet) post testing? Who looks the most prepared and who has the most unknowns about them?
Will Witchell
2025-03-01 10:13:03 +0000 UTCDid every team have a very flexible front wrong and will there be a big order change post Barcelona endorsement of flexing
Ryan
2025-03-01 10:04:18 +0000 UTCRed Bull have a visually similar car to 2024 and were still using flo-vis late in the test, which feels very late on In a scenario where Red Bull start the season as the 4th best car, and end it with Aston Martin having caught them up, would Christian Horner survive all the Adrian Newey-related questions and pressure?
Richard Snape
2025-03-01 10:03:47 +0000 UTCWhat are Sauber/Audi getting SO wrong, and what do they need to do turn things around?
MikeyB
2025-03-01 09:54:57 +0000 UTCWhat were your first impressions of Kimi Antonelli on track in terms of pace and consistency for the first time current machinery with representative tyres?
Andy
2025-03-01 09:49:38 +0000 UTCBased on what you've seen so far, how dominant are McLaren likely to be this year? And do you think we'll have any new race winners? PS love the pod!
Dragon_Ninja85
2025-03-01 09:44:58 +0000 UTCCould the McLaren rear instability be from the extreme suspension setup they are running to maximise the anti dive?
Matthew Kemsley
2025-03-01 09:44:35 +0000 UTCHow do you think Lawson is looking so far? and, particularly while trackside, how did he look compared with Verstappen, did he seem as comfortable throwing the car into corners as Max ect.
Benjamin
2025-03-01 09:38:53 +0000 UTCHave the team seen or heard anything related to the impact of Binotto joining Sauber in terms of preparation or approach to testing?
Colin Gallagher
2025-03-01 09:37:21 +0000 UTCMost of the testing the last three days were conducted on the harder range of Pirellis. In the press conferences the drivers were saying the feel of the tyres was slightly different to last year. With the odd weather at Bahrain, what's the likelihood that The teams may have some issues going into the warmer races this year with tyre wear? For example, Melbourne weather and temperatures right now is fluctuating between extreme heat and very cool for a February, so I have no idea what it will definitely be like come Friday practice!
Alexander Law
2025-03-01 09:23:52 +0000 UTCHow has Jack been getting on? Is he ready to scrap for the last few points with Carlos, Alex, Pierre, and maybe Fernando?
Zach Buchowski
2025-03-01 09:20:35 +0000 UTCI saw on the Motorsport.com live updates of the tests a comment talking down a former colleague of theirs using the phrase "reverting back", which I found a totally unnecessary dig. Seeing that most of you guys have a history at that outlet - what on earth is wrong with them?!
Jan Alexander
2025-03-01 09:19:40 +0000 UTCWhere did the red ineos branding go from the Mercedes? Trouble with the joint ownership?
PK
2025-03-01 09:16:10 +0000 UTCOther than budget caps, is there any real reason why the teams aren't allowed to test with both cars and drivers for the full 3 days? Would it not be more valuable if teams could run both cars, doubling the information gathering, letting each driver work with his own pit team to setup their own car ahead of the season start?
Nick of Oz
2025-03-01 09:13:35 +0000 UTCThe weather at Sakhir was abnormally cold during the test; given the Mercedes performed at its best in cooler conditions last season, how can they be absolutely sure that they have cured the ills of 2024 when the car did not work so well when track temperatures rose?
Stuart Coulter
2025-03-01 09:11:36 +0000 UTCMore of a general testing question - what situation would a team prefer - turn up at testing with a fast car but limited knowledge of how to develop it (Ala Aston 2023) or a slow car but a clear understanding of its faults and how to upgrade it (alpine 2024)?
Jamie Stark
2025-03-01 09:11:04 +0000 UTCWhich of the rookies looks to have adapted the best to F1 so far?
Michael Sanderson
2025-03-01 09:07:34 +0000 UTCGrammar nerd here. When referring to singular or plural terms for each team, it’s usually pretty simple. A McLaren or the McLarens, for example. So, when referring to the Racing Bulls team, when one car is on track, are we saying a Racing Bull, or a Racing Bulls? The latter just sounds wrong, and as far as I’m concerned, adds to this team’s rather poor naming methods of the past 18 months…
Richard
2025-03-01 09:06:34 +0000 UTCBased on what just we've seen in testing, was Red Bull right to replace Sergio Perez with Liam Lawson?
David Banton
2025-03-01 09:06:22 +0000 UTCNot to wish the Season away but you mentioned in a previous podcast about next seasons testing being varied and long and I wonder what is the agreed programme and rough dates
Ed
2025-03-01 09:05:49 +0000 UTCAre Aston Martin on a sauber esk track to the bottom? I feel like their car is going backwards and looks like it will be the 8th or 9th best car. Can this really be recovered before 2026 given their record of development in season?
Bill Armstrong
2025-03-01 09:05:32 +0000 UTCMaybe one for Edd, and maybe a longer one... Everyone always says testing times don't matter; does that stack up, historically? How do testing times compare to the overall season results? Both over one lap and long run pace. Thanks all!
Kim
2025-03-01 09:05:31 +0000 UTCWell done guys on the great coverage this week. Did the conditions leave a lot of unanswered questions?
Neil Clarke
2025-03-01 09:05:11 +0000 UTCIs sakhir circuit a better testing venue than Barcelona in that it pushes the cars more or better representative than previous testing venues.
Protonic Arrow
2025-03-01 09:04:22 +0000 UTC
